Why is gold different colours? (2024)

FAQs

Why is gold different colors? ›

Pure gold is slightly reddish yellow in color, but colored gold can come in a variety of different colors by alloying it with different elements. Colored golds can be classified in three groups: Alloys with silver and copper in various proportions, producing white, yellow, green and red golds.

The reason for the change in color of alloyed gold is usually the “meeting” of oxygen and sulfur (yes, yes, the substances in our air) with the moisture in the air. Therefore, during the wet season or during a summer vacation by the sea, the surfaces of gold jewelry can be covered with a light layer of oxide.

Adding copper to gold makes it redder and adding silver, zinc and any other metal makes gold paler. Thus, we can understand that lower carat golds, because we can add more alloying metals, can have a wider range of colors than the higher carat golds.

Mix equal parts brown and yellow to make a mustard-colored gold or stir together black, red, and yellow to create a deep gold. Adjust the tone by adding yellow, red, blue, or white.

The different colors come from the metals used in the alloys. Yellow gold is gold alloyed with silver, copper and zinc and is closest to the natural color of pure gold. White gold is gold alloyed with platinum, or paladium, nickle and zinc. Rose gold is gold alloyed with copper and silver.

Primarily, gold is yellow and in order to create additional shades, the gold is often mixed with other metals to create an alloy in the same way you may mix paint colors to create beautiful new hues. These alloys allow gold to be more durable and affordable.

White gold was originally developed to imitate platinum (a naturally white metal). White gold is usually an alloy containing about 75% gold and about 25% nickel and zinc. If stamped 18 karat, it would be 75% pure gold.

Discoloration: Genuine gold will not change color or show signs of fading or tarnishing. Counterfeit gold may, however, exhibit discoloration, turning green or black due to a chemical reaction with the lighter flame.

When you see a yellow sheen on your white gold jewelry, it is not the result of oxidation or another chemical reaction, meaning the metal does not actually change color. The outer layer of rhodium slowly wears away over time, eventually revealing the creamy-yellow color of un-plated white gold.

Black gold is gold that is rhodium plated, i.e. covered with a thin layer of metal to give it its charcoal grey colour. To put it simply: black gold is white gold but with a different rhodium plating colour.

Is pink gold real? ›

Pink gold is made from mixing gold with copper and silver. Copper gives it a red hue, and silver makes it lighter. Pink gold isn't very common, but rose gold is more popular than pink gold. Rose gold is much preferred in the fine jewellery market.

This is to do with the electrons in the metal atoms. When a piece of the metal is heated, if there is enough energy supplied to the atoms, their electrons are excited and are promoted (jump up) to higher energy levels.

The two main colours that are used to create the golden colour are brown and yellow. You will need an equal quantity of both the colours to get the traditional golden colour but you can play with the colours and add them as per your requirement.

You can make black paint by mixing together equal parts red, blue, and yellow paint. You can also mix opposite colors on the color wheel to make black, like red and green, blue and orange, or yellow and purple. Blue and brown mixed together will also make black.

Since yellow is complementary to blue, this makes a piece of gold under white light appear yellow to human eyes. Copper absorbs some of the light in the blue-green region of the spectrum. Since blue-green light is absorbed, its complementary color, red-orange, is reflected.

Purple gold has a vibrant lilac hue that you cannot usually find on any other gold jewelry. Of all the other gold colors, purple gold is the rarest one as most jewelry shops don't feature it yet. However, online purple gold jewelry pieces are available in stores in Singapore.

In its pure form, it is a bright, slightly orange-yellow, dense, soft, malleable, and ductile metal.

Their color is derived from the metal mixture used to create them. The most common metals used to mix with gold to make it stronger and more durable are copper, silver, nickel, palladium, and zinc. White gold is mixed mainly with white metals like nickel, while yellow gold is mixed with yellow metals like copper.